Western archaeological site Kos

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View of part of the western archaeological site
mosaic
Kos-Western Archaeological Site-13ASD.jpg
Roman bath (nymphaeum)
Mosaic in the so-called "House of Europe"

The western archaeological site Kos ( Greek Δυτικός αρχαιολογικός χώρος Κω or English Western Archaeological Zone or Western Archaeological Site ) is located in the city ​​of Kos on the Greek island of Kos .

location

The excavation site is today in the south of the city of Kos, from the original medieval city (existed until 1933 - see: Archaeological Site Agora ) in the west or south-west. The western archaeological site is in the immediate vicinity of other buildings that were important in antiquity, such as B. the Odeon of Kos , the Casa Romana and the Altar of Dionysus . The former stadium of Kos (archaeological site Ancient Stadium ) is located about 100 meters to the north, the archaeological site Agora is located about 400 meters to the northeast.

The excavation site is around 350 meters from the port of Kos and is around 12 meters above sea level.

history

Human settlement in Kos has been documented since the early Bronze Age (2300 to 2000 BC) (see e.g. Aspri Petra ). During the time of the Minoan or Mycenaean culture (2nd millennium BC), settlements in Kos developed into important centers (especially Kefalos ). This development took place between the 10th and 8th centuries BC. Restricted BC and flourished from 7th to 5th century BC. BC again. With the relocation of the island's capital from Kefalos to Kos (city) , it became the new center. The city of Kos was further enhanced by the construction of the Neratzia fortress by the Order of St. John .

In particular, finds from the Hellenistic period and late antiquity were found in this excavation site .

The most important historical buildings that were found here or whose earlier existence has been proven are:

  • Acropolis ;
  • Decumanus . The decumanus maximus (DM) was the basis of the further streets and parcels of a city to be laid out, which was laid out as a main axis of orientation. This main orientation axis was cut by the cardo maximus (CM) at an angle of 90 °. The intersection of these main axes ( locus gromae ) marks the center of the city. The two main axes of orientation resulted in a chessboard-like city ​​map (a similar plan was also partially used for the new construction of the city of Kos by the Italians after the severe earthquake in 1933). The decumanus maximus was about 40 Roman feet (twelve meters wide, here 10.50 meters), the cardo maximus about half this width. The main axes were often flanked with columns in other places and the decumanus maximus is said to have reached as far as the port of Kos. The streets date from the first decades of the 3rd century AD;
  • Roman bath ( nymphaeum or also called nimfeo , after the nymphs ), excavated in 1938 and restored in 1940, dates from the late 3rd century AD. It was badly damaged by the earthquake in AD 469;
  • Xystos was a covered runway that was built around the 2nd century BC;
  • House of Europe, which was named after a mosaic located here that shows the Phoenician king's daughter Eurṓpē , who is kidnapped by Zeus in the form of a bull;
  • Gymnasion ;
  • The western baths are located between the portico of the high school and the paved road and date from the 3rd century AD. It was a slightly trapezoidal building with a length of about 92 meters and a width of about 35 meters in the north and 33 meters in the south. After the earthquake of 469 after Christ, part of it was converted into an early Christian basilica.

The finds from this and the other excavation sites are kept in the Archaeological Museum in Kos (city), which was newly built in 1935/1936 . The Italian archaeologist and art historian Luciano Laurenzi played a key role in the excavations .

Web links

Commons : Western archaeological site in Kos  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Earthquake on April 23, 1933 with a magnitude of 6.6 on the Richter scale.
  2. ↑ See information boards on site.
  3. ^ Western Archaeological Zone , website: kos.gr.
  4. ^ Frank Naundorf, Yvonne Greiner: Kos Travel Guide , Erlangen 2019, Michael Müller Verlag, 9th edition, ISBN 978-3-95654-594-8 .
  5. ↑ The excavations and construction work on this historical site and the finds were carried out by the Italian occupying forces in the 1930s (see: Italian occupation of the island from 1912 to 1943).
  6. ↑ Ιστορικό , website: odysseus.culture.gr.
  7. ↑ Renovated Archaeological Museum Is A Must-See on Kos , website: greece-is.com from March 15, 2017.

Coordinates: 36 ° 53 '28 "  N , 27 ° 17' 4.5"  E